When it Rains
by SilvanaCrowe
Summary: This is a companion piece to Nothing in the 'Verse by dongyrn, and yes, I have permission. I definitely recommend reading that first, because this isn't exactly stand alone. Events from Rain's POV, some that Dani is privilege to, some that she isn't.
1. Chapter 1

**When it Rains…**

**Chapter 1: Cloud cover**

I do not own Firefly. Now that that's out of the way, I should definitely start by saying that this is a companion sort piece to _Nothing in the 'Verse_ by dongyrn, who is in the process of writing a multi-chaptered fic based in this universe. Seeing as I happen to be the inspiration for the character Rain, I figured I'd be best to do a set of shots from her POV. Seeing as how the main character Dani is not, in fact, omniscient. I'm only planning on these being Rain's POV (hence the title), but who knows what the future holds?

This is a real experience, as close as I can remember. Names are changed to fit the _Nothing in the 'Verse_ AU, and I would suggest reading that lovely story first before any of this story at all. It's not really much of a stand alone. This chapter corresponds to the prequel of _Nit'V_.

* * *

**Jiangyin. 2 years pre-U-Day**

Growing up was good. Jiangyin was a nice place, country-fied and pretty peaceful. She knew there were prettier, nicer places near the Core, but that was how life worked. Rain was never one to question it, not since her _Kaasan_ (mom) left that day when she was 9. If she started questioning, Cali would notice, 'cause she always did somehow, and Cali was s'posed to be happy. 'Sides, the day was sunny, but not too hot for once. She could be outside, but her favorite fic had been updated finally and she was glued to her pocket Cortex in the den.

"Have you seen Mom?" speak of demons and they appear.

She turned away from her Cortex link to look at the 9 year old behind her, "Pretty sure she's in the study, brat. Why?"

"She said she was waiting to get a call, but that was hours ago! Mom said she'd help me with finding that clock spring I lost last week!"

"I'm not a seeker device," Rain muttered, standing up. "Let's go find 'er then, if it'll make you leave me alone."

They got into the study to see mom at her Cortex, checking for information on the Independent Army again. She spun the chair around when Cali _as un-stealthy as possible_ bounced up behind her.

"Hello Cricket, what are you two up to? You drivin' Rain crazy again?"

"Like she ever stops?"

Cali stuck her tongue out at her older sister from where her arms were wrapped around their mom. "Nuh-uh! This time she came with me vol-volun-"

"Voluntarily." Mom interjected gently.

"Yeah that! Thanks!"

Then a Wave came in, and life shifted, shattering around the small, already broken family.

"Hello? Yes, this is Bethany. I...I see. Alright. Yes, I will. Good-bye."

Rain and Cali looked at each other in concern, their mom's face had turned so pale during the short call. Rain just sat there, trying to figure out what was happening while Cali whispered, like the words themselves would break the small amount of control Mom seemed to be clinging to, "Mama? Are you...ok?"

"No, sweetie. No I'm not." Her voice broke. It broke for the first time Rain remembered outside of someone mentioning _Kaasan_. "I'm sick. That was the doctor. The tests they took last time I was in? The ones testing for... Well. They came back positive."

"I don't understand," Cali murmured, blue eyes huge and dark against her lightly tanned skin.

Rain just stepped forward to hug her mom. How do you respond to something like that? _You already took Kaasan away from us, you couldn't give this family any sort of break at all, could you?_ Rain didn't talk to God much, but she tried when she could, because it made her parents happy. The tears started then, Mom shaking in her seat, Rain's arms wrapped as far around her as she could, as tight as she could, like she could hold off the illness with her grip. She felt Cali come join the embrace, her shorter body squirming between one of Rain's arms and their mom's body to get a good grip.

"Everything will be ok," Mom whispered, already trying to pull herself back together.

_No it won't._ And it's still so gorram nice outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**When it Rains**

**Chapter 2: White noise**

I do not own. This goes along (actually towards the end) with Chapter 13, after they get back to the ship but before Sara and Dani have their heart to heart.

_**Fortune's Favor**_**. Ariel City.**

They were _bendans_ (idiots). Big gorram _bendans_, but they were still her sisters, and they were all alive, and Rain couldn't bring herself to care much about anything else. Not even Dani's lecture still ringing in her ears, or the utter relief everyone was exuding over them all being home could effectively steal her attention away from Sara and Cali. She actually had hovered so badly when Aunt Maribelle was checking them over that she was kicked out of the Infirmary and forced to stay out in the lounge.

_It's not like I was in the way! I can't exactly help nervous energy._ Rain pouted, though she'd deny the action to her death.

Rain's head turned, hearing stunted footsteps, to see a sight that had her muffling a grin. Cali was using Sara as a crutch, Aunt Maribelle having informed her that putting too much pressure on her leg could reopen the wound. Sara, being quite a bit smaller than the younger girl, was stumbling around almost as if she were drunk with every step that they tried to take.

"You look about as effective as a three-legged horse," Rain laughed, standing up to move to her youngest sister's other side.

"'Cause a five-legged horse is so much better," Sara snarked. "So, where we headed?"

"My room." At the odd looks, because _everyone_ knew about Rain's privacy issues, she defended, "Your whole head is a knot, squit. 'Less you want to have someone choppin' it all off _again_, it needs brushin' out. And you can't pay me NEAR enough to go into that nightmare makin' room of yours, Cali."

Sara didn't even try to hide the snickering as Cali went into a full blown puppy-pout.

They hobbled to Rain's bunk, all the way up near the bridge. Rain dropped down last after she lowered Cali down to Sara.

The room wasn't much in furniture, just a black sheeted bed against a wall, a rather squishy and ragged looking blue chair, and a small desk all bolted to the floor. There was an old desk chair in front of the desk. The only truly remarkable things about the room were the walls. The wall behind the ladder held the personal head on one side of the door, and a bolted up woven multi-level bin that served as the young pilot's dresser. The other three walls were a mass of pigeon holed boards stuffed with papers and closed shelves filled with books. Every space had some sort of adornment, be it star charts, drawings, pictures, or wall hangings. Even the ceiling was painted a mix of night sky and colorful designs. The fold out compartment behind the bed served as a holder for knick-knacks that Rain had no where else to put.

Sara sat down on the armchair, pulling her legs up under her and immediately sinking into it. "I think your chair is tryin' to eat me." she deadpanned, shifting to get more comfortable.

"It's good for that," Rain muttered distractedly while fishing a brush out of the fold out compartment. "Pull that chair over, we'll sit on the bed and you try to keep your leg up on the chair."

Cali managed to hobble over to the bed to collapse at the edge, propping her leg on the chair. Rain sat down behind her, bracketing her sister in by gripping the young mechanic's hips with her knees. She looked at the mass of knotted brown hair, then down at the brush. Sara and Rain shared a single, wary glance before the elder raised the brush to begin.

_**Fortune's Favor**_**. In preparation for lift off. Ariel.**

As Rain took over her shift on the bridge, Dani spoke up. "Next time you decide to torture Cali, at least have the decency to do it in a soundproofed room so's the rest of us don't have to bleed from the ears. That girl can scream with the best of them."

Rain just looked at her, too dazed and still half deafened.

"Next time, just cut her hair, _nu'er _(daughter)." Dani laughed. She went to leave the bridge to head back to her bunk.

"But then she screams _more_!"


End file.
